Too Many Sales Directors Are Just Very Expensive Managers
The most dangerous thing that a new Sales Director can do is stay good at their old job.
Thought Leadership Articles by Dan Bognar
Dan regularly authors a range of thought leadership resources covering topics such as sales best practices, sales leadership, sales recruiting, sales career development as well as sharing his own personal journey.
I Once Declined the 13th Job Interview - Here's Why
If a prospect asked for 12 meetings and a free three year strategy from you before deciding whether to buy, you'd tell your sales reps to walk away. Yet many companies run their hiring processes exactly like that.
Your team judges your leadership by what you tolerate, not what you deliver
If your top performer walked into an interview tomorrow with the same sales numbers and the same challenging behaviours, would you hire them again? I once advised one of my managers to let a rep like this go, even though it put our number at risk.
The lack of humanity in the hiring process
Ghosting isn't just a dating problem. It's standard hiring practice. Candidates give companies six, eight, ten hours of their time - tailored CVs, multiple rounds of interviews, panel presentations prepared from scratch. Most get silence in return.
How to Run a Sales Forecast Meeting That Isn't Just a Status Update
Sales forecast meetings usually run long and still miss the mark. Here's how to structure the conversation around evidence, not optimism, so the number you call is one you can actually defend.
The Next Great AI Seller Might Be an Engineer
What if the person capable of building the proof also owned the commercial outcome? Part builder, part seller. One person accountable from the first technical discovery through proof of concept, commercial close and account expansion.
From Quota to Coaching: Why Tech Sales Leaders Need a Coach Too
While sales leaders spend most of their time coaching others, very few have someone coaching them. The result? Burnout, stalled growth, lower motivation, and leaders who hit the wall just when their teams need them most.
5 Common Mistakes Tech Sales Managers Make (and How to Fix Them)
The best tech sales managers know how to balance hitting the number with building a strong, scalable team. But many fall into the same traps that stall performance and frustrate their reps.
The Tech Sales Director’s Playbook: Driving Growth at Scale
Becoming a Sales Director in tech is one of the most rewarding and challenging roles in the business. It requires you to evolve from a player-coach into a true organisational leader.
Who Really Owns Sales Pipeline? Spoiler: It's not Marketing!
One of the most common debates in tech sales is: Who owns sales pipeline? But here’s the simple truth: 👉 Every sales rep owns their own pipeline. Marketing, BDRs, and partners are contributors. They’re not owners.